U.S. Army Intelligence Corps or Royal Army IC? U.S. Army CIC is a separate Corps Think UK MI 5 vs MI 6.
Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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Sounds like a pretty good life all things considered, especially if he can get a good education from the GI Bill. There are far worse fates than a long, happy life with a nice house, decent job, and loved ones all around.
Driftless
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Would there have any virtues or penalties (of a sort) for Lt Jaroshek delaying his return to the US for a year or so? By that, I mean there would have been a mega-ton of returning GIs, Sailors, Marines, USCG, Airmen, and Doctors and nurses all coming back home in 1945-46. The job and school pipeline must have filled quite quickly, even with many women coming out of the homefront wartime workforce.
Economically, the US had fluctuations in real GDP throughout the late 40s, but generally remained on the uptick. One theory ironically credits the “permanent wartime economy” brought on by continued defense and aerospace spending. There was a de facto recession during the immediate postwar period as defense contracts were cancelled, but overall unemployment remained low and postwar diversification into domestic goods production and a consumer spending boom helped prevent worse. Thus buoyed, the economy continued to escape the downturn until the recession of 48-49 when the spending boom had run its course.
That said, returning veterans did face difficulty in picking up their old jobs. In some cases the workplace skill sets had moved on, while in other instances they faced ”soft“ discrimination in position and salary. On the other hand, the Veteran’s Adjustment Act provided a much softer landing for many of the returnees, affording some breathing space and a chance to pick up a new start. William Wyler‘s treatment of the post war returnee experience in “The Best Years of Our Lives” offers an excellent dramatic portrayal of some of the challenges faced. I’d also offer “China Marine” by EB Sledge as a portrait of the experience of a returning infantryman.
Our LT will not have much of a problem with staying in the Army at this time. There was a surplus of officers that wanted to go home, either to be in a billet in the US or get completely out of the Army, having someone who wants to stay in Europe with his experience will help him in this case because they had brand new 2LT's that wanted to go home at this time. He also represents that component that was one of the things they were showing off post war. Look at how Capt. Spears from the Band of Brothers ended up a LT COL and was the US Governor of Spandau Prison in the late 58. Jaroschek would fit into this type of officer the US Army wanted to keep to help with the ones that did not "go to war" so to speak.
True, but the Army did experience drastic shrinkage post WW2. Even RA officers remaining in service were reduced to permanent grade from their wartime AUS grades. For example, William Yarborough was reduced from a wartime AUS grade of Colonel commanding an infantry regiment to his permanent grade of Captain as did many others including Creighton Abrams, and Russel Volckman. Some high-caliber wartime officers retired or separated for various reasons- Henry Mucci pursued a run for office, Benjamin Vandervoort retired after multiple wounds to join pursue a career in other government agencies, and Richard Winters left active duty to pursue civilian employment.
For those who remained on active duty, the post war years were a period of retrenchment and a certain ennui. Officers who had commanded regiments now found themselves in command of companies while bridling under congressionally imposed oversight at odds with their experience of what was needed for success in combat (read the first few chapters of Fehrenbach’s “This Kind of War”). Some battlefield commissioned officers found the requirement to pursue civilian education and the administrative requirements of peacetime unappealing. A very few like William Harris or Edward Lansdale found an opportunity to continue advising/fighting in some the early conflicts of the Cold War in places like Greece or Philippines. Maybe if Jaroschek was willing to remain in Europe he could have eventually found his way to the Greek Civil War or Vienna (provided he had the right skills and patronage), but he’d need to be quick about looking to his civilian education or be more than likely reduced, separated, or stagnated. No matter what, staying in the Army on a junior officer or NCOs pay during peacetime in the somewhat antiquated digs on most army posts would be pretty hard compared to enjoying relative stability and a chance at prosperity as a civilian in postwar America.
For an anecdotally accurate portrayal of life as a married junior officer in the post WW2 Army, I’d offer WEB Griffin‘s ”The Lieutenants”. Griffin’s description of life in the married quarters of Fort Knox is period accurate. It would take a special person to bring a spouse and (eventually) child into those conditions.
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Story 2906
Port Said, Egypt June 14, 1945
Doric Star cleared the breakwater. She headed north for another hour before turning to the west. Mutton and beef needed to be delivered to Cadiz and then she would head to Liverpool to pick up a cargo for the Far East Air Force for delivery to Manilla before heading to Perth to repeat the triangle once again.
Doric Star cleared the breakwater. She headed north for another hour before turning to the west. Mutton and beef needed to be delivered to Cadiz and then she would head to Liverpool to pick up a cargo for the Far East Air Force for delivery to Manilla before heading to Perth to repeat the triangle once again.
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Story 2907
Strasbourg, June 15, 1945
She was off her feet. She was engulfed in strong arms. Her world was becoming right.
They stayed connected for a minute. And then her brother put her feet down on the cobblestones.
He was safe. He was home. He was family.
He was the only family that she had left. She took him by the hand and dragged him out of the crowd in front of the train station. Soon they found a small brasserie that still had some food and wine available. She pulled out the coins and coupons to pay for their sustenance as she started to pester her brother about his plans during the thirty day leave. The French Army was also demobilizing but he did not expect to be out until Christmas. There were too many things that needed to be done and too many men who were wounded or weak from the deprivations of war for the front line soldiers to be discharged immediately. He had time to help at the family farm. She had done well to hire a half dozen farm hands. A large turnip crop would soon be planted for a fall harvest. Perhaps next year they could go back to wheat, but the seeds and fertilizer just were not there and they were too late anyways.
But even as they talked about the farm and where to bury their parents, they laughed and enjoyed the first few hours together in years where they did not have to worry about incoming artillery or an overheard word. She smiled brilliantly as her brother asked her about her American. She pulled out a half dozen letters from her purse as she asked her brother for more details about his friend.
She was off her feet. She was engulfed in strong arms. Her world was becoming right.
They stayed connected for a minute. And then her brother put her feet down on the cobblestones.
He was safe. He was home. He was family.
He was the only family that she had left. She took him by the hand and dragged him out of the crowd in front of the train station. Soon they found a small brasserie that still had some food and wine available. She pulled out the coins and coupons to pay for their sustenance as she started to pester her brother about his plans during the thirty day leave. The French Army was also demobilizing but he did not expect to be out until Christmas. There were too many things that needed to be done and too many men who were wounded or weak from the deprivations of war for the front line soldiers to be discharged immediately. He had time to help at the family farm. She had done well to hire a half dozen farm hands. A large turnip crop would soon be planted for a fall harvest. Perhaps next year they could go back to wheat, but the seeds and fertilizer just were not there and they were too late anyways.
But even as they talked about the farm and where to bury their parents, they laughed and enjoyed the first few hours together in years where they did not have to worry about incoming artillery or an overheard word. She smiled brilliantly as her brother asked her about her American. She pulled out a half dozen letters from her purse as she asked her brother for more details about his friend.
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Hecatee
Donor
Actually she might well have to take out her rationing book at this early a date : products such as butter were still rationed in the 50's according to my grandma's memories, the Belgians comming like her to France for their hollidays often brought products such as butter to gift to local friends
Thanks, similar job it sounds like. Stateside they did security clearances for Top Secret work: ie Oak Ridge and Hanford Manhattan Project sites.
Story 2908
Abadan, Persia June 15, 1945
SS Fort Lee threaded her way through the rapidly diminishing harbor defenses. The water lapped at parts of her hull which rarely were exposed to air. A full load of aviation gasoline and bunker fuel was to be picked up. As the tanker was loading, her crew would have a run ashore even as gang of yard workers scraped her hull free of obstructions and an engineering team took at look at the balky turbo-electric drive. The captain did not think that there was anything seriously wrong, but he would never object to a chance to keep his ship in tip top shape.
Across the harbor, the anti-aircraft batteries were being disassembled. Two batteries of Bofors would be transferred to the government of Persia, a heavy battery would be shipped Liverpool for long term storage while the American supplied batteries would be loaded aboard a few lighters and dropped into the sea as part of a breakwater that was needed to improve the port.
SS Fort Lee threaded her way through the rapidly diminishing harbor defenses. The water lapped at parts of her hull which rarely were exposed to air. A full load of aviation gasoline and bunker fuel was to be picked up. As the tanker was loading, her crew would have a run ashore even as gang of yard workers scraped her hull free of obstructions and an engineering team took at look at the balky turbo-electric drive. The captain did not think that there was anything seriously wrong, but he would never object to a chance to keep his ship in tip top shape.
Across the harbor, the anti-aircraft batteries were being disassembled. Two batteries of Bofors would be transferred to the government of Persia, a heavy battery would be shipped Liverpool for long term storage while the American supplied batteries would be loaded aboard a few lighters and dropped into the sea as part of a breakwater that was needed to improve the port.
Driftless
Donor
Turning swords into plowshares - after a fashion....
Better end (so far) for the SS Fort Lee too
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